Gramophone, &amp;c.



'Pat'e'nted Nov) 14, |899.

E. BERLINER.

GRAMOPHONE', &c.

- (Application Bled Jan, 25, 1899.)

(No Model.)

v 2 Sheets-Sheet L l No; e37,|97. `Patented Nov. 14,1899;

E. BERLINER.l GRAMOPHONE, &c.

' (Application med hn. 25, 189e.) Y ((Nqllodel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

STAES WCE, v

EMME BERLINER, or wAsHiNeToN, Dis'rRrcToE ooLUMeIA,"AssIeNoR To THE UNITED STATES GRAMOPHONE COMPANY, or SAME rrr/ion.;

'eminemsonetto SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 637,197, dated November 14, 189.9?

Application led January 25, 1899. Serial No. '70313471 (No model.)

. l To 1f/ZZ whom t may concern: r Be it known that I, EMILE BERLINER, a'citii "zen .of the United States, andi a resident of Washington, Ain the District of Collim.bia,have invented certai'n'new and useful Improve'- ments in Gramophones or other 'Sound-Ref producing Machines, of which thc following is a specification.

rl`his invention has reference to .improvements in sound-reproducing machines,and especially to the gramophone-reproducers using a dat recorddisk with the record thereon in the form of a sinuous spiral groove of even depth having the-sound-Waves represented -by the sinnosities ci? the groove.

It is a characteristic feature of the' gramophone-reproducer that all special mechanism for feeding the sound-box (comprising the dior.` phragm or other resonant body and reprodwing-stylus) across therecord-disk is dispensed with,- and the record-groove itself is utilized as a feed-screw of great delicacy, and since the feed-screw and the record-groove 'are one and the same no justifying devices of any kind for inaccuracies between y the feeding mechanism and the record-groove are required. However, since' in the commercial gramophonc-reproducer the sound-box is carried at the outer end of a, simple hinged arm which is free to be swung around its hinge,

so asto be fed by the groove across the record-disk, the sound-box is necessarily car-V ried 'thereby through an arc of more or less curvature, according to thelength of the arm. For commercial use thislarm must beof limted length to make the reproducing-machine as compact as possible, and conse uentlythe curvature of the path of the reproducing-stylus across the record tablet is quite pronounced and varies considerably from the path of the recording-stylus, which is fed in a straight. line radially across the disk upon which the record is rst produced.

While it is practical to have' the reproi ducerstylus travel through a .curved path over the record-disk, still the reproduction is not as perfect as when the path of the reprorincer-stylus conforms with the path of the recordebstylns, forwhenthe reproducersty- .5o lus .travels through 'a onrvedpath it has a .terconnected links constituting a lever, as shown in the patent to W. Suess, No. 427,279, dated May 6, 1890; but both of.' these means vention to achieve the same purpose by a construction that is free of the inconvenience inherent in those heretofore nsed as suggested, for the same purpose. For this purpose' I somount the sound-box carrier. that it is free to be propelled across the record-tablet in a straight line by the engagement of perpendicular to the surface of the record- /tabletg but both movements are always inthe same perpendicular plane relative tothesurface 'of the record-tablet'.

lar to thesurface of the recordgtablet.

VFor the' practical embodiment of my invention I am notconfined' teeny special mechanism, since I have devised a number'of difthe reproducer-stylus with the record-groove, and'at the same time it is-free to be moved in adirection perpendicular or approximately was sought to be achieved by a system of in-l c for propelling the reproducer sound-box in a radial line across the' record-tablet are incon-g venient in some respects for commercial pur?.

eposes; and it is the object of the present in-A ferent forms of sound-boxcarriers and su1p-- ports therefor-that will operate'in accordance with my invention; lbut in order to simplify both the illustration and'description of the invention I have shown inthe accompanying tion, which in practice has been found to give excellent results.

"In the drawings, Figure 1 'is a side elevation of a gramophone-reproducer embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof; and Fig. 3 is an end View, on a larger drawings but oneembodiment oiFthevinvenfl 8g3v When I speak of a plane whose direction is'y .f perpendicular tothe surface of the-recordtablet, Inaturally mean to include planesl which are nearly or substantially perpendicu c scale, of Vthe sound-box carrier Aand its rsupport and adjacent'parts.

Referring to'the drawings, there is shown' a motor-casel, containing the usual spring-v motor {(uot shown) for actuating'a fho'tizontal,

rotary table 2 -on top Athe motor-case'. The"l table 2 supports a fiat reeerdtabletordisk 3,` `secured thereto by a clamp-nut`4. The rec-.-

`ord-disk is of the usual-circular type, having on its face a sinuous spiral groove of even depth, with the sound-waves represented by the sinuosities of the groove. The sound-box record groove on tlieface of the tablet. -As

thus far described the structure shown in the drawings is the same inail respects as 'the ordinary commeffeial gramophne, and consequently no detailidescription 'of the construction and-operation of these parte is deemed Y necessary.

The sound-box 5 iscarried by an arm S,co1n posedf-o'f two narrow, preferably metallic, strips 9 10 and two spacing-blocks 11 12, preferably of wood or other ,light material. The two strips '9 10 are secured at the outer end` of the arm 8 to thespacing-block 12, which is as long as or longer than the greatest width of a record upon the record-tablet, for a pure'tiough in the pose that Willhereinafter appear. The other spacing-block 11, as shown, is shorter than the spacing-blockrl2 and' need only be long direction of the length of the arm 8 to hold a spring-clip 13, which receives the neck of and holds the sound-boxin place in'such manner that the stylus will rest in a record-groove in-'the usual manner..

The spacing-block 11 is secured to the strips 9 10 at the inner end of the arm 8; but the strip 10 is longer than the strip 9.and projects" beyond the end of the arm S, in line with the same, a distance equal to or longer thanA the greatest Width of a recordv upon the recordtablet, the purpose of which will also .appear farther on. y

The outer end'of the arm S, by the spacingblock 12, is supported npon-a roller 14 in such manner as to .be freelymovable lengthwise and also to .be freely'r'ocked up and down on lthe roller, the surface of which, thus forms a shiftingfulcrum. The roller is composed of axraxl'e 15,l lhaving twol disks '1616 fast on .it near its two ends, which are-so spaced as to. aord a broad bearing for the spacing-block 12. The ends of the axle 15 p'rojtct beyond the disks and are there pointed, as shown, or are otherwise shaped to fit in suitable bearings iu the .ends of two-parallel side arms.17.

17 of a bracket 18, secured to the motor-box 1'.` At an intermediate point in theside arms 17 there is secured a stiEenng-rod 19, as

Shown.

When the ordinary sound-amplifyinghorn (not showuMs placed ppon the machine, one

the surface of the recor --tablet.

'vented by the rods 2l -record-'groove and .lend is attached tov and supported by the neck offthe sound-box and the other end restsnpon a bracket 2G on the'outerend of the arm 8.

Fast on the inner corners ofthe bracket 18 and rising therefrom above th arm 8 are two rods 21 21,-soarrangedas to embrace the arm .,8 about" midway of its length, but inv such manner as to not/impede the lengthwise movement of the said arm., andfrising from the motor-'case 1, beyond. theinner end of the arm 8, is a forked guide 22, through which the extension of the strip 10 passes.

The purpose of the rods 21,and forked guide 22 is to resist the drag-ofthe rotating recordtablet on the stylus andl through the latter on the sound-box and innerend of the arm 8, which drag-acts at right angles to the length 'of the arm and tends to move lthesame laterally on the roller; but neither the rods 21 nor the guide 22 prevents 'the arm 8 from beingl propelled lengthwise bythe record-groove acrossthefaee of the record-tablet or from being moved. on the roller in a direction perpendicularorapproximatel Consequently all movements of the arm 8 and of the sound-boit carried thereby are confined to a single .plane that is perpendicular to the 4face of the record-tablet, since itis evident, that all other movements are etectnally preand forked v guide 22. The stylus must thereforemove-across the face of the `recordtabletin astraght line, and as this line is'made tocoincide with a radiusof the tablet thepa'tlnof the reproducingstylus will agree in all-respects withthe path of therecording-stylus acrossthe face of the tablet when the record .is first prod ued,there by preventing all distortion of thereprod'uced sound, due to the stylus having a'c'urved path acrossthe record-tablet.

vThe foregoing description since theprinciple of the invention is apparis confined tolthe particular structure shown in the drawings,

perpendicular to rio ent therefrom; but it will be understood that v any 'structure in' which the stylus and soundboxare fed across therecord-tablet by the at the same time are free to be moved in a directionl perpendicular or approximately perpendicular tothe surface of the record-tablet, but in' the same plane as the movement across thetablet, I consider as embodying my invention. It will also be understoodthat the invention is equally appli- -cabla to sound-reproducen using cylindrical tablets as well as dat tablets and to' tablets with the record in the form of a groove of varying depth instead of in the"'forrn of a sinuous groove of e'ven'depth;` It will also be understood-that I consider a sound-record rin the form of or formed in a ridge as'thejequi'valent of a sound-record in' the form of or yformed in a groove. V j l Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim is- 1. In a gramophone or producing sound from'a record'of the same,

other d evice for refr t let .substantially as' described.

z 5 record-tablet, substantially as described'.

a sound-box and stylus free to be fed across the recordjtablet by the record-'groove and mounted to freely move toward and from, but

restrained to movesolely in 4a plane perpen-V 5 dicular to, the surface of the record-tablet, substantially as described,

2.. I n agramophonejor othervsoundsrep'roi ducing machine, thef combination of a rotat-al ble record-tablet, 'Witha reproducingsoundf lo b ox mounted to be propelled acrosstlie tablet,

mounted to freely 'move toward and from',

.pendicnlar to, the surface of the .ducing machine, the combination of'a rotatable record-tablet, a reproducing soundboxyi and a mounting therefor freeto be propelled 2o by the record; comprisingan arm carrying the p ort'fo'r the fm1). v ve freely toward andfrom, but restraining it to m'ove solely in sound-box, a bearingor- 's permitting the latter'o in 'a'plane perpendicular to, the surfaceof the 4. In agramophonoor-otller s ound-repr'o-v ducingmachine, the combination of a blerecerdftablet,

rotataa reproducing sound hex,

anda mounti-ngtherefor free to be propelled go'by the record,- comprising an arm carrying the sound-box, a. bearing or support' for the arm', and guides or stops for the'. arm-permit-4 ting v free motion of the arm' toward andfrom, but restraining it'tjo movesolely in .a plane perpendicular-to,-th e 'surface of the record'- tablet, substanti'allyas described.

5. In a-gramophoneor other soundlre rosupporting the arm. at Ithej'otherend, and guides orstops permitting -free motion of the arm toward and from, but restraining it to a Y ducing-niachine,

' straining all movements comprising an 'arm a reproducing soundlbox, I 5o and a mounting'therefor. comprising ,an. arm

carrying the sound-'box atone-end, f roller plane'perpendicular ito',. the Isurface of -the 'reco1d'-ta blet,. substan tial ly as described. 7. Ina gramophone or-other sound-reprothe combination of ahorizontal'l'yfrotatable recordsdisk, a, reproducing sound-box, and amounting therefor compris-- ing-an arm carrying the sound-boX, a'bearing or support for the arm also up and down, and

of the arm to a single vertical plane, .substantiallyas described.i

In a gramophone or other sound-repro-V perliiitting "the 4same to be moved lengthwise in a stmighline and guides or stops ref ducingnrachine,'tl1`e combination .of 'ahorizontally-rotatable recorddislga reproducing soundbox, a mounting ltl 1 e1'eforcomprisingan .arm carrying thesounbe'x, a roller-bear ing forthefarm on' wh ich2?he latter may be moved lengthwise and lJip, 'and guides bristops' fondrealfn'x@l straining all movements -iining or ree lattentoa single vertical plane, i substan scribed.

-. v9. In a gramophone'or-other-sound-reproducing machine, the combinationofarotatable record-tablet, areproducing sound-box support: for the arm permitting the'latter'to move toward 'and fromthe record-tabletin a plane perpendicufiauy ,as detdown, and l 8oxv .andamounting therefor, free'to be propelled by therecord,^coxnprisipg an arm, carrylng A the 'sound box, a bearing o r larthereto and thelstylusfto rest by gravity against the record-tablet,@and-means'forprea Ven'tn g the movement ofthe armin any other plane, .substantially'a's described;

'10, In a ,gramophone or other sound-repro.

ducing machine, the'combinaton of a rotatable record-tablet,` with a reproducing .sound- -boxmoufnted .to be propelled 'across the tabs let, bythe'recordhgroovm-in va' s traight'l-ine';

and mounted to have its movenren ts confined to a-single plane,A passing through that line perpendicular to-the surface of the rec'ordtabletfand to have thestylus and sound-box- Iesf by gravi 'yf againstthelrecord-tablet, 'substantiallyas described.-

'In-testimony .whereof-.I `have signed my name to this specification in-thqpresence o f two subscribing witnesses:`

' HUGH-M. SrERLING.

roo 

